Bedford man jailed for 18 years for sexually abusing two young children

A man from Bedford has been sentenced to 18 years' imprisonment for sexually abusing two young children.
MBTC Robert  HainesMBTC Robert  Haines
MBTC Robert Haines

Robert Haines, 27, of Hockliffe Road, will not be considered for parole for a minimum of 12 years and will also spend seven years extended on licence.

In addition, he was given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order indefinitely and will be placed on the Sex Offenders Register for life.

Haines was found guilty of six counts of rape and five counts of sexual assaulting a child under the age of 13 following a trial in November, where the jury heard how he had sexually abused two children on multiple occasions between 2013 and 2017.

He was initially arrested in May 2017 after the mother of one of the victims reported that Haines had been sexually touching her child.

During the course of the investigation, a second victim then came forward and disclosed a number of offences.

PC Kat Alison, from Bedfordshire Police’s Child And Vulnerable Adult Abuse unit, said: “Haines is a dangerous predator who was a genuine threat to children. We are therefore glad that he has received a significant custodial sentence and will be no further risk to the public.

“The victims and their families have shown tremendous courage in reporting his crimes to us and although the sentence handed to Haines will not erase the trauma they have suffered, I hope they are now able to move on from this terrible ordeal.

“We will not tolerate sexual abuse of any kind in Bedfordshire, and we’re committed to tackling offenders such as Haines to prevent them from causing harm to any other children, as well as providing support to victims.”